27 July 2006

Personal Carbon Trading

David Milliband is stealing Green Party policy by announcing personal carbon trading allowances. That's fine. Go ahead, David. We're relaxed about it. Steal away. The problem is that the rest of the government's policy portfolio (aviation, a lack of action on energy efficiency and the existing housing stock, alliances with the US despire their inaction on Kyoto, slashing grants for renewable energy) makes it a bit of a farce. It is not about one cabinet minister making one speech about one topic. It has to be about a co-ordinated, "joined-up thinking" effort to make the environment, the planet, the central theme of all policy decisions. This is where mainstream parties fall down on the job. They're only part-time environmental parties.